Promising Vidarbha cricketer hangs self

NAGPUR: Twenty-year-old leg-spinner Ishan Sathe, who had impressed Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir and was touted to be a good bet to play for India soon, allegedly committed suicide on Wednesday night after an argument with a girl who broke up with him recently. The body of the final year BCom student was found hanging from the ceiling fan by his uncle Sharad Sathe on Thursday morning.

Ishan had appeared for his exam on Wednesday afternoon and his final paper was scheduled for April 23.

Ishan was among the probables of the ICC Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand two years ago and narrowly missed the berth in the final squad. "Sachin was very impressed with him," said Subroto Bannerjee, the former India fast bowler and currently Vidarbha's bowling coach. "He told me 'this boy is full of talent and could go the distance'."

The extended Sathe family resided in a three-storey bungalow in New Ramdaspeth. While Ishan's two uncles stayed on the first two floors, Ishan occupied the third floor. His parents live in Borgaon, 65 kms from Nagpur, where his father Subodh Sathe works in a well-known garment factory. His mother is a homemaker. Ishan's younger sister Aishwarya is studying in Nashik. Relatives informed TOI that Subodh had come to visit his son on Tuesday.

Ishan's close friends informed TOI that he appeared quite depressed on Wednesday night and also spoke about ending his life. They added that before the telephonic argument with the girl, she had come to his house where they had a huge tiff.